Smith & Daughters A Cookbook

March 18, 2017 by
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Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to Be Vegan) by Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse is the debut title from the owners of the celebrated Melbourne restaurant of the same name. Mo works the front of the house and is the marketing brains behind the restaurant and Shannon is the chef.

I am not vegan, nor do I currently have a desire to convert, but if anyone can tempt me to prepare more meals using vegan ingredients it will be Shannon. The chef is not a vegan and perhaps this is why her recipes are so well received. She cooks from the standpoint of a meat-eater as she replicates the tastes and textures of meat rather than creating predictable vegan dishes. Shannon’s recipes are anything but bland or predictable as her Spanish paternal family’s background is reflected in many of the recipes. Corn & Jalapeño Pancakes, Tortilla Soup, Brazilian Slaw and Chargrilled Corn with Chipotle Crema & Cheese Dust are only a few of the knockout dishes. 

The book is beautiful with eye catching photographs and the youthful spirit of the tattooed beauties behind it pulsating off the pages. Mo and Shannon have made being a vegan cool, delicious and appealing. I made the recipe we are sharing below for an appetizer a few weeks ago and there is only one problem they disappeared as fast as I could make them. 

Special thanks to the authors and to Hardie Grant for sharing these fritters with our readers – make them – they are spectacular. Head over to our contest page to enter our giveaway to win one of three copies.

 

JALAPEÑO & CORN FRITTERS

Moreish as. We serve these in quantities of three or six at the restaurant. People always, ALWAYS choose six. You’ll see why!
 
Serves 4-6

450 g (1 lb/3 cups) frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 tablespoon no egg powder
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 corn cob, kernels stripped, or an extra 75 g (2 3/4 oz / 1/2 cup) frozen corn kernels
1 jalapeño, finely diced (seeds removed for a milder taste)
3 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Coriander Pesto or your favourite dipping sauce
 
Blend the defrosted corn, no egg powder, sugar and baking powder in a blender until you have a smooth purée. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
 
Add the fresh or extra frozen corn kernels to the purée along with the diced jalapeño and cornflour. Gently stir to combine, then allow the mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes.
 
Heat enough oil for deep-frying to 170ºC (340ºF). To check the temperature of the oil, drop in a small spoonful of the batter. If it quickly rises to the surface, then you’re good to go.
 
To cook the fritters, use one soup spoon to scoop up the batter, then use another soup spoon to gently push the mixture off the spoon and into the oil. Make sure there is enough room for them to move around a little in the oil.
 
The fritters will rise to the surface and begin to turn a golden brown. Flip the fritters over and cook the other side until crisp and golden all over – this should take about 2 minutes.
 
At the restaurant we serve these with coriander pesto, but feel free to serve them with any aioli or salsa. They’re so good, they won’t last long anyhow, so make sure you have some dipping sauce ready or people will eat them straight out of the fryer.

Recipes excerpted with permission from Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (that happens to be vegan) by Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse, published by Hardie Grant Books. 
Category: Book News, Recipes

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19 Comments

  • fiarose  on  March 19, 2017

    i absolutely LOVE vegan cooking, it fits completely with my tastes for veggie-centric, light eating. i have a whole bookshelf dedicated to my vegan cookbooks alone!

  • hippiechick1955  on  March 19, 2017

    Yes, absolutely. I call myself a Pescatarian because I sometimes though rarely eat fish. I have experimented with vegan cooking. Unfortunately I need help with it lol.

  • sgump  on  March 19, 2017

    Yes, certainly. If you swap oil for butter in a whole category of recipes, it's not difficult to be vegan.

  • Siegal  on  March 20, 2017

    I'm not vegan anymore but I still love cooking vegan dishes

  • monique.potel  on  March 20, 2017

    yes i have tried vegan cooking as a matter of fact we eat more and more fruits and vegetables

  • allthatsleftarethecrumbs  on  March 21, 2017

    I haven't tried cooking vegan, but two of my daughters are vegetarian, and this book looks like it has some wonderful recipes to get started on.

  • edyenicole  on  March 25, 2017

    Yes! I have made many vegan dishes.

  • Nancith  on  March 25, 2017

    Yes, being a vegetarian perhaps makes it easier for me to cook vegan dishes as well.

  • jdlt  on  March 26, 2017

    I'm completely vegan! Vegan cooking is delicious and wonderful!

  • JenJoLa  on  March 29, 2017

    I love vegan cooking! I'm looking forward to checking this cookbook out.

  • rennots  on  March 29, 2017

    I haven't done much vegan cooking. This book would be a great start

  • AlisonL  on  April 5, 2017

    I cook mostly vegan. I am a self-professed vegan cookbook junkie. Haha.

  • t.t  on  April 8, 2017

    I've done some vegan cooking for friends who are vegan, but there's always more to learn.

  • imaluckyducky  on  April 14, 2017

    I was vegan for over a decade. I'm very excited at how vegan cooking is progressing!

  • Aproporpoise  on  April 15, 2017

    I eat vegan most days, since it's so much more affordable to get quality produce and pantry items vs high quality meats.
    I love a good vegan meal – or cookie :3

  • lgroom  on  April 15, 2017

    My husband was a vegetarian and so was I, for about 20 years. I later took up with someone who would slaughter something and walk by the grill so I went back to the heavy duty critter-laden meals of my farmer family's youth. I still love good vegetarian stuff and happily go meatless many nights especially since my cholesterol has creeped up.

  • RSW  on  April 17, 2017

    Never but trying to change to healthier lifestyle.

  • ddenker  on  April 18, 2017

    I have not done much vegan cooking, but do own at least one such cookbook.

  • TrishaCP  on  April 19, 2017

    I cook vegan occasionally but eat it more frequently when I'm out because I'm not too familiar with the meat substitutes (though enjoy them). Eating some at the moment (Hip City Vegan).

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